The Comfort of Christmas Trees

 

God,
we praise you for the light of creation:
the sun, the moon, and the stars of the night.
We praise you for the light of Israel:
the Law, the prophets, and the wisdom of the Scriptures.
We praise you for Jesus Christ, your Son:
he is Emmanuel, God-with-us, the Prince of Peace,
who fills us with the wonder of your love.

God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we illumine this tree.
May the light and cheer it gives
be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts.
May all who delight in this tree
come to the knowledge and joy of salvation.
We ask this through Christ
 Amen.

— adapted from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayer

Both of our felines, Merlin and Arthur, spend time beneath the trees of our yard, even during these increasingly wintry days. This morning Merlin decided that the warmth under the Christmas tree was preferable to what was one the frostiest starts to a morning this December. 

We got our tree early this year, in part because the word was that there has been a run on real trees this year, and also because we wanted to have the comfort and familiarity it could provide in such an unpredictable and rather depressing year. 

The fragrance as we walked through the tree lot, which then permeated our family room was reassuring and quite wonderful. 

I heard recently, not for the first time, that most North Americans can conjure up more brand names that the names of trees, and one of those trees is "Christmas tree." There are a number of species of conifers grown for the season, but it would seem that this is lost on the majority of us.

There is the legend of  Martin Luther, the 16th-century founder of the Protestant movement who while walking toward his home one winter evening, was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.Please do not try to do this at home! 

Who knows whether this story is true, but I want it to be. In recent years there has been a Christmas tree tug of war between the ecological advantages of real or artificial trees,and there are arguments from both camps. I just figure it's a  marvelous thing that we still acknowledge a ritual which probably originated with the pagans as a symbol of life when the earth seems dormant. 

Whether our trees are ersatz or sappy, we Groundlings can offer a prayer of gratitude for what they represent.